


Salted & Burned

by Telaryn



Series: The Tale of Eliot Spencer and Ellen Harvelle [20]
Category: Leverage, Supernatural
Genre: Comfort, Crossover, Emotional Baggage, Episode Related, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Past Relationship(s), Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-21
Updated: 2012-05-21
Packaged: 2017-11-23 19:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/625666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telaryn/pseuds/Telaryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eliot gets the full story on what happened to Ellen and the crew at the Roadhouse, and is forced to question his decision to leave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Salted & Burned

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=angst_bingo)[](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=angst_bingo)**angst_bingo** 's Round 3, for the prompt "failure".

Nate barely remembered the tiny house. He'd only been here once before on a retrieval job for IYS – and so much had happened in the intervening years that it felt like somebody else had been tracking that particular artifact.

The only thing he could still emotionally connect with was Eliot lying on the front porch, bleeding out from a sniper's bullet – his only thought for the safety of the woman inside. _”They can't know about her.”_ It was one of the only times Nate had ever seen true desperation in his friend's eyes. Even if he'd joked later about killing Nate to keep the secret of his relationship with Ellen Harvelle safe, in those first panicked moments he'd been more than willing to beg.

It spoke volumes.

Neither of them had been surprised to find the house boarded up and empty when Eliot's truck rolled to a stop in the front yard. Chance had brought the team within fifty miles of the small Nebraska town Eliot had called home when he was with Ellen, and Nate had suggested that the two of them look in on her.

They hadn't expected to find the bar Ellen had owned – the place where she and Eliot had met – literally wiped off the face of the earth. Depending on how long ago Harvelle's Roadhouse had been destroyed, Nate knew it made sense that the land had been cleared – but he still couldn't shake the feeling that the land was cursed somehow. _Blighted..._ He knew Eliot shared his feeling of unease, but the Hitter had stayed quiet until they reached Ellen's house and confirmed that she was gone.

His phone had come out then, and he'd walked far enough away from the truck that Nate was effectively out of earshot. Nate perched on the bumper, thinking of his own phone – and Hardison on the other end, who could have pieced together the entire puzzle in a matter of moments. _”They can't know about her.”_ For some reason keeping his secret was still important to Eliot. Nate wouldn't violate that confidence just to satisfy his own curiosity.  
*****************  
She was alive. Eliot felt tension he hadn't even realized was an issue flood out of him on hearing the news. _“She went on the road with Jo,”_ Bobby Singer told him, his gruff voice the most reassuring thing Eliot had heard in hours. _“There wasn't anything for her to stay put for.”_

Eliot accepted the implied rebuke without comment. He perched on the edge of the porch. “Bobby, what the hell happened? I saw what was left of the Roadhouse.”

Singer’s snort told him that he appreciated Eliot’s understating of the facts. _“Things have been hot since you took off, kid,”_ he said. He went on to spin a tale of demons and hellfire and the end of the world. It was all fantastic enough that Eliot suspected he was going to have trouble bringing Nate up to speed.

 _Ash…dead._ Dean’s soul all but gone – bartered away in a desperate deal to bring Sam back to life after a demon had dropped him in a duel to the death. Eliot let the information wash through him, trying not to focus too much in on any one particular piece. _I never should have left._

It was an irrational response – on some level he knew that. So much death and destruction always affected him like this though, especially when it touched people who’d welcomed him into their lives when they’d had no good reason to trust him.

_”You still there, kid?”_

Exhaling softly, Eliot focused on the conversation again. “Yeah Bobby – I’m here.”

_”I’ve got her number if you want it.”_

It was tempting…so tempting. Eliot hadn’t let himself admit how much he wanted to hear Ellen’s voice again until the opportunity had been snatched away so completely and horribly.

In the end there was only one answer he could give, though. “I can’t,” he said. “She’s moved on and so have I. It’s safer for her if we keep it that way.” Bobby didn’t respond, but Eliot smiled bitterly – imagining the disapproving scowl on the old hunter’s face.

Something occurred to him then – a way he might be able to help at least someone from his strange little former family without bringing further trouble on them. “I’ve got a few contacts that might know about breaking demonic deals,” he said finally. “If I can dig up anything that’ll help Dean, I’ll pass it on okay?”

They finished their conversation shortly afterwards – Eliot’s conscience was salved somewhat by the relief in Bobby’s voice that he might be able to dig up something on Dean’s situation. Pushing to his feet with a soft groan, Eliot made his way back to where Nate was waiting by the truck.

“Did you find out what happened?” the mastermind asked.

He nodded. “She’s alive, and last time Bobby heard she was healthy. She’s moved on.” He pulled out his keys and moved towards the driver’s side of the car. “Time we did too.”


End file.
